Word: koosman
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Dates: during 1960-1969
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...then the Mets got tired of losing. They acquired a new breed of men; men who had been raised on a Breakfast of Champions, men with strong, clean names like Tom Seaver and Jerry Koosman. And suddenly they began to win. In the year 1969, the Amazin's beat out the Chicago Cubs for their division title; then they whipped the boys from Atlanta soundly to win the National League pennant...
...primary source of Met strength this year lay in the fluid arms of Pitchers Tom Seaver (season record: 25-7) and Jerry Koosman (17-9), who were backed up by a supporting cast of splendid young hurlers. But with the exception of Ryan, the 22-year-old righthander who tossed seven innings of brilliant baseball in the final game, the pitchers were way below par during the playoffs. In the first two games Seaver and Koosman compiled embarrassing earned-run averages...
...that, Seaver was very nearly overshadowed last year by Jerry Koosman, a gangling (6 ft. 3 in., 205 Ibs.), grinning pitcher who learned to throw the ball in the family barn, has a brother named Orville and says things like "I haven't had this much fun since my third-grade picnic." If Seaver's acquisition was fortuitous, Koosman's was truly preposterous. Who but the Mets would act on a tip from one of their stadium ushers? The usher's son, who caught for an Army nine at Fort Bliss, Texas, wondered whether the Mets might be interested...
...Koosman's fastball shrieked, and he threw roundhouse curves like a poised veteran. In his first two appearances, he astonished baseball buffs by registering shutouts. He pitched a total of seven shutouts to tie a 63-year-old record for rookies, won 19 games, and posted a 2.08 ERA. He lost out to Cincinnati's rugged Catcher Johnny Bench as Rookie of the Year by a single vote ?the closest balloting ever for the honor...
...commanding. Says Cleveland's flamboyant outfielder, Ken ("The Hawk") Harrelson, who played for Washington during Hodges' five-year stewardship of the Senators: "He was unfair, unreasonable, unfeeling, incapable of handling men, stubborn, holier-than-thou and ice-cold." But the Mets seem to hold an altogether different view. Koosman sums up the team's attitude: "Hodges is one hell of a leader. He always has time to talk to you, he has a good sense of humor, and if he's distant, it's because he never wants to embarrass himself or the team. I wouldn't trade Hodges...